Where Drunk Driving Meets Drunk Walking

Posted on November 27, 2012

Nothing good ever comes from excessive drinking. Even if you make the right choice and don’t get behind the wheel, you could still be making a big mistake.

The woman accused of fatally hitting a pedestrian and carrying him on her windshield for more than two miles worked at a Torrance recovery center as a substance abuse counselor, the facility’s president said.

A Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch beer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

David Lisonbee, president of Twin Town Treatment Centers, said 51-year-old Sherri Wilkins was hired at the Torrance facility in September 2011 after an internship. Wilkins is a chemical dependency counselor who worked with a small group that meets each evening for six days a week, Lisonbee said.

She was also recovering from addiction herself, Lisonbee said, but passed a background check and drug and alcohol screening when she was hired and showed no signs of relapse.

Torrance police say Wilkins struck Phillip Moreno, 31, as he was crossing the street at Torrance Boulevard and Madrid Avenue on Saturday night. Wilkins told officers she “panicked” and kept driving for 2.3 miles as Moreno was “partially embedded” in her windshield.

Other motorists managed to stop Wilkins at 182nd Street and Crenshaw Boulevard and got ahold of her keys. Moreno still had a pulse when officers arrived, but was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Wilkins had a blood alcohol content that was more than double the legal limit. She was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and manslaughter.

Wilkins told officers she was on her way home from work at the time of the crash, but Lisonbee said the facility only had daytime meetings on Saturdays and was closed.

The profile went on to say she was 11 years sober and had a degree in drug and alcohol counseling, loved dogs, painting, cooking and the mountains.

If you or a loved one were the victim of a car accident that was caused by negligence or some other form of reckless behavior, it is important that you contact a committed and dedicated personal injury lawyer to help you decide if you should file a lawsuit. A competent and reputable injury lawyer can help you receive the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.

If a loved one was the victim of wrongful death that was caused by negligence or some other form of reckless behavior, it is important that you contact a committed and dedicated personal injury lawyer to help you decide if you should file a lawsuit. A competent and reputable injury lawyer can help you receive the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.